VINYL, GET THEE TO MINE IPAD

Abstract

Using an iPad simplifies the digital transfer, with no need to relocate a turntable next to a computer. It's also an efficient mobile system for those who don't have a turntable - just take your iPad, UFO202 and a couple of LPs for a visit to a friend who has one.

Next, connect the USB interface from the camera kit to the iPadNow plug the UFO202's USB cable into the camera-kit interface. The UFO202 is powered by the USB interface, not the usual electrical supply. Only a USB-powered device like the UFO202 will work with the iPad when transferring vinyl.

Once you've transferred the tune or entire album, hit the "Share" button. I wanted to send part of an album by Joseph Spence, a Bahamian singer-guitarist, to my computer's iTunes library. I tapped "iTunes Sharing," chose the type of file I wanted - AIFF, an uncompressed file that preserves the LP's fidelity - then tapped "Send to iTunes."

Despite the intense retro-cool factor, and renewed popularity lately, the vinyl LP remains a small player in a digital world.

Sometimes vinyl becomes part of the that world when the music stored on an LP's analog grooves is digitized and transferred to a computer. It winds up, like most digital music files, on a portable device or mobile phone.

There is a way, however, to get the music directly from a turntable to a portable device, an iPad, for less than $70.

Here's what you'll need:

* The Behringer U-Phono UFO202, a USB audio interface with a built-in phono preamp. Cost: $34 at amazon.com.

* The Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit, ostensibly designed to download photos and video from a digital camera to an iPad. Cost: $29.

* Software (from the iTunes App Store). Here are two prime candidates: Apple's own GarageBand and the new FiRe 2 from Audiophile Engineering. I tried both and preferred FiRe 2 for its simplicity and because it's a dedicated recorder. If you want to make your own music, too, and load it directly onto an iPad, then GarageBand is the way to go. Cost: FiRe 2, $5.99; GarageBand, $4.99.

Using an iPad simplifies the digital transfer, with no need to relocate a turntable next to a computer. It's also an efficient mobile system for those who don't have a turntable - just take your iPad, UFO202 and a couple of LPs for a visit to a friend who has one.

The UFO202 is among the least expensive ways to digitize vinyl albums or cassettes, even 8-track tapes. It's the size of a deck of cards and fits in a shirt pocket.

Its basic connections include an analog RCA input and output, a turntable ground and input switch for phono (turntable) or line (a tape deck or other device that, unlike a turntable, doesn't need additional amplification) and USB cable.

The UFO202 also has a headphone jack and associated volume control.

For the vinyl transfer, connect the turntable's RCA cables to the UFO202's input. If the turntable has a ground wire, connect that to the UFO202 too.

Next, connect the USB interface from the camera kit to the iPadNow plug the UFO202's USB cable into the camera-kit interface. The UFO202 is powered by the USB interface, not the usual electrical supply. Only a USB-powered device like the UFO202 will work with the iPad when transferring vinyl.

When the UFO202's power indicator lights up, you're ready to introduce the analog LP to your digital iPad.

Once you've transferred the tune or entire album, hit the "Share" button. I wanted to send part of an album by Joseph Spence, a Bahamian singer-guitarist, to my computer's iTunes library. I tapped "iTunes Sharing," chose the type of file I wanted - AIFF, an uncompressed file that preserves the LP's fidelity - then tapped "Send to iTunes."

When I synced the iPad with my computer, the files showed up under the FiRe 2 app, which were then saved to the computer and imported into my iTunes library.

There's no easy way to separate tracks when recording an entire album. Once on the computer, the files can be split using free software like Audacity or for-pay programs like VinylStudio ($29).

For ready-to-go transfer of vinyl to iPad, though, the Behringer U-Phono UFO202 and the Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit make a great analog-to-digital team.

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Illustration

Photo (color); Caption: Three-hundred new-issue vinyl LPs arrived in independent record stores in the U.S. as part of the Record Store Day last month.